School is already back in session and summer is slowly fading into fall.
If you’re not in the classroom but still want to learn where some history happened and enjoy outdoor autumn weather and the soon-to-change leaves, we have suggestions for trails where you can walk in the footsteps of those who came before us.
Lace up some sturdy shoes, get ready to become a local tourist, and check out these six, maybe new-to-you places in and near Delaware that have relatively easy walking trails.
Some locations are free, while others require a park or a museum membership. Many have interpretive signs along the trails so you can learn more about the site’s lore or soak up nuggets of information while on a stroll.
For more routes, go to Delaware Greenways, which lists trails in all of Delaware’s three counties. Another good site is All Trails, which can be found at alltrails.com
This free Sussex County coastal walking and biking trail starting in Lewes not only has great views but also has an interesting history. Junction & Breakwater Trail was named after a Pennsylvania Railroad line that ran between Lewes and Rehoboth in the mid-1800s. It delivered passengers to the Atlantic Coast resort areas but was abandoned in the 1970s. It was made into a trail in 2003.
You can start the trail at Gills Neck Road in Lewes, and it’s about a 7-mile hike to Rehoboth. At the end of the trail in Rehoboth, you can wet your whistle at the Revolution Craft Brewing Co. (on a hot day, we liked the Sussex County Mule, a blonde ale with 5% ABV) or maybe even get a vegan carrot hotdog from the Silly Rabbit food cart that operates there occasionally.
The sites along the flat trail, a mix of crushed stone and asphalt trail, include native plants; wildlife; and the Salt Marsh, a coastal wetland that helps improve the water quality of bays and oceans. An 80-foot-long railroad bridge originally built in 1913 crosses Holland Glade stream.
The Lewes Library Trailhead, 111 Adams Ave., has bathrooms, water fountains, an informational kiosk, a bike station and plenty of parking. Parking also can be found about a quarter-mile from the trail’s start on Gills Neck Road. There also are several places to rent bikes in Lewes if you prefer wheels instead of walking.
Winterthur Museum founder Henry Francis du Pont’s first love was gardening, and it certainly shows in the 1,000 acres of rolling hills, streams, meadows and forests of his former estate off Route 52 (Kennett Pike), between Greenville and Centreville.
First things first: You need to pay admission ($20 to 22) or have a Winterthur membership ($30 to $1,000) to walk the 10 miles of roads and 25 miles of paths and walking trails. The trails are between a half-mile to almost 2 miles long. You’ll need to wear an admission tag or display a membership card.
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You can request a garden map at the Visitor Center or download a PDF of the Winterthur Estate Map. The map shows roads and paved paths as well as the locations of restrooms and emergency call boxes on the estate.
Ticketed guests can walk between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Members can walk daily from dawn to dusk. Keep your dog at home. No pets are allowed on the property.
Still, many visitors say it’s well worth the price because du Pont experimented with thousands of plants and he refined the color combinations that are the essence of the Winterthur Garden. Almost any time of the year, there is something new to see.
Although Winterthur is a key part of Delaware’s history, there are no signs outside touting that the 175-room du Pont mansion, built in 1837, has the most significant collection of American decorative arts in the world. It has pieces dating back to 1640.
However, there are trail markers on the grounds and interpretive signs along the walking paths in the 60-acre historic garden area; that content is focused primarily on Winterthur, du Pont and plant specifics.
The garden design preserves the look created by du Pont and his close friend and landscape architect Marian Coffin.
Picnics are allowed and you can bring outside food and drink to the garden.
Historic New Castle is certainly the place to marinate yourself in what it was like to be in the First State back in the day.
The town, also known as Old New Castle, originally was named Fort Casimir when it was founded in 1651. Just 10 minutes south of downtown Wilmington, it is one of the most important Colonial/Federal villages in America — second only to Williamsburg, Virginia, in the number and authenticity of its historic structures.
The free, open-to-the-public 3.7-mile paved walking, hiking and biking trail in Battery Park, at the end of Delaware Street, runs along the Delaware River and offers views of waterfowl, ships and the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
In the summer, it’s not unusual to see the Kalmar Nyckel, a replica of the 1638 tall ship that brought the settlers who founded little Fort Christina, later the city of Wilmington, at the public dock at 1 Delaware St. The tall ship frequently sails the Delaware River and will return to the Copeland Maritime Center campus at the Wilmington Riverfront shipyard in September.
You’ll probably share the trail path with gaggles of geese (watch where you step!), and there’s a nice mix of shade and sun. Picnic tables are located in some grassy areas, and benches are planted along the pathway for people watching. Views include rocky beaches and various jetties.
After a hike, take a stroll on the cobblestone streets of the Colonial town and enjoy beverages and snacks at one of several restaurants including Jessop’s Tavern, Nora Lee’s and Zollies Jazz Cucina.
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Fridays and Saturdays in October, the New Castle Historical Society hosts ghost-walking tours through the town. Visitors can stroll New Castle’s streets and alleyways and hear tales of hauntings, Victorian death and funeral customs, and crime and punishment that span the town’s almost 370-year history. Tours begin at 7, 7:30 and 8:30 each night. Visit newcastlehistory.org for more information.
The 72-acre, New Castle County-owned park at 4651 Washington Street Extension in Penny Hill has a picnic grove, gardens, urban wildlife habitat, a pet-friendly parkland and paved trails linking to the Northern Delaware Greenway. It’s free and open daily from dawn to dusk.
One of the park’s best features is the 1.2-mile loop trail asphalt path that takes amblers by Rockwood Mansion, a retirement estate started in 1851 and completed in 1854 by wealthy Wilmington merchant baker Joseph Shipley while he was living in the village of Allerton, near Liverpool, England.
Shipley, a descendant of prominent Quakers, wanted the Victorian Gothic Revival mansion to be similar to Wyncote, his country estate in England. The gardens were designed to reflect his love of English architecture and landscape design. Shipley, a bachelor with no children, shared Rockwood with his unmarried sisters, Sarah and Hannah.
Markers on the property point out interesting details such as the house’s conservatory, which had a hot-water heating system installed under the floor to keep Shipley’s plants thriving in the winter. In the summer, all the plants were taken out to the garden.
Shipley died in 1867. After the death of the last sister, Hannah Shipley, in 1891, a great-nephew, Edward Bringhurst Jr., took over the estate. He and his family moved into Rockwood the next year and extensively redecorated the interior.
Another marker near the trail tells the story behind “Edward’s Playhouse.” The ruin, near the walking path, was the surviving part of a farmhouse that had stood on the site when Shipley first purchased the land. In the 1890s, the Bringhurst family altered the structure and turned it into a playhouse for their youngest child, Edward, who died at the relatively young age of 55.
Various Bringhurst family members lived at Rockwood until 1972 when the estate, on the National Register of Historic Places, was donated to New Castle County.
Of course, every old spooky-looking mansion has a ghost tale or two, including Rockwood. The house is said to be haunted by ghosts named Mary and Eddie, and in 2016 the mansion was featured on the SyFy TV show “Ghost Hunters.”
The museum is taking advantage of its spirits and will hold paranormal walking tours from 8 to 10 p.m. beginning Sept. 10. The Rockwood Paranormal Experience Team will lead visitors, 14 and older, through Rockwood’s gardens, fields and architecture using “state-of-the-art’ ghost-hunting equipment.
The cost is $35 for county residents and $45 for non-residents. Visit newcastlede.gov/431/Rockwood-Park-Museum
On several nights in October, Rockwood also will host 90-minute “ghost story” walks through the gardens that will be led by a character holding a lamplight known as a “Revisionist,” a person that can “speak with the unliving.” A cash bar and “spooky” concoctions will be available after each walk.
In 1935, Pamela and Lammot du Pont Copeland purchased more than 126 acres of land near the village of Mount Cuba near Hockessin where they built a Colonial-Revival style house and began planning formal gardens. In 1949, they brought in landscaper Marian Coffin to plan the formal gardens. She also worked with Henry Francis du Pont at Winterthur. The couple, like du Pont, were life-long gardeners. Lammot Copeland was a former president and chairman of the DuPont Co.
The Copelands envisioned the elegant gardens they cultivated on their estate would someday inspire a community of conservation.
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After the Copelands’ deaths, Mt. Cuba eventually was opened to the public and began charging general admission in 2013. In 2018, Mt. Cuba Center’s 582 acres merged with the 501 acres of the adjoining Red Clay Reservation. Mt. Cuba is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mt. Cuba Center at 3120 Barley Mill Road in Hockessin has more than 2 miles of trails throughout its more than 1,000 acres.
There are four short trails, each less than a mile, that can be visited now through Nov. 20. You will need to purchase a general garden admission ticket ($8 to $15) or have a membership ($84 to $182) to walk the trails.
Only service animals are permitted on the property. Not all the terrain is even. Golf cart transportation to select locations throughout the garden is available upon request, so are wheelchairs, walking sticks and a walker.
The scenic trails throughout Mt. Cuba Center’ are maintained in their more natural state and take on a “wilder” aesthetic, as opposed to the carefully curated gardens. You’ll see native tree plantings and various species of plants and birds. New this year is the shaded “Understory Trail” that goes through a forest full of native hardwoods, across a stream, through a black walnut grove, by a pond as well as a low-lying meadow full of native wildflowers.
Mt. Cuba’s garden and trails are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or on-site at the Ticketing Office.
It’s not exactly a secret, but The Laurels Preserve, a stunning, limited-use 700-plus acre preserve near Unionville, Pennsylvania, (not that far from the Delaware state line) is the kind of place that you have to know to know.
The Laurels Preserve has existing trails, roads and paths and it is open to members of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art every day from dawn to dusk. Visitors should carry their Brandywine membership cards. Membership ranges from $40 to $100.
The entrance to the Laurels is 100 yards off of Route 82 on Apple Grove Road, 4 miles west of Unionville, Pennsylvania. It feels exclusive because it has parking for only 10 cars about a quarter mile from the main gate.
Dogs are allowed, but they must be kept on a leash. If there are no open parking spots, the Brandywine Conservancy, which manages the land, asks that visitors not park on the grounds and return when a spot is available.
Native Americans once fished the streams that are now called Buck and Doe runs, according to the conservancy. Millworkers harnessed the water for gristmills and a steel rolling mill during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. For decades in the 20th century, the King Ranch grazed cattle in lush pastures adjacent to the streams.
The Conservancy created the Laurels Preserve, named for on-site mountain laurel trees, from 771 acres of donated land. The site has almost 500 acres of hardwood forest including mature red, black, white and chestnut oaks, tulip poplar, beech, white ash and hickory species.
It is also considered an important bird area by Audubon Pennsylvania, and about 160 species have been observed nesting in or migrating through the Laurels. It also has a variety of wildlife, including beavers and wild turkeys.
Contact Patricia Talorico at ptalorico@delawareonline.com and follow her on Twitter @pattytalorico
